January 23, 2011

W(n)ot a Film!

“By any stretch of imagination, it can not be called a film” is what a friend of mine feels about ‘Dhobi Ghaat’. Aamir Khan, slowly gaining notoriety for the way he aggressively markets his films, has always maintained that this film would not appeal to the traditional Indian audience. There are people calling it boring, others praising it for its ‘freshness’. For me, it is neither. It is one of those numerous ‘hyperlinked’ films that world cinema has witnessed since ‘The Killing’ (1956) or even earlier, and what has been a fashionable trend among the movies of the last decade. By Hindi film standards, it is both fresh and slow, and even unaffecting. And this time I am not even ‘happy that a film like this got widespread release in India’. Being the wife of one of the most powerful men in the industry has done the trick. Kiran Rao has been fortunate in that sense, but that does not, in any way, mean that she is not talented.

The writer-director has made a film she can be proud of. It is not a great piece of cinema, but it is very well done. It is sure of its intent, and its content, or the apparent lack of it. It has its own way of affecting you, but as one leading film critic rightly wrote, it is an ‘acquired taste’. We can ‘acquire’ that taste only by watching films like these. And the presence of a superstar in this otherwise ‘small’ film will surely bring more people into the theatres. That is the only saving grace for the atrocious decision of casting Aamir Khan, who disappoints in his portrayal of the reclusive painter. Awkward with his English lines, he seems to be trying too hard, failing the character that, after a long time, suited him in all its dimensions. ‘Dhobi Ghaat’ proves once again that an actor ‘bigger’ than the character can never do justice to it. Correct casting is what Akira Kurosawa considered ‘the most important part of filmmaking besides writing’. I would like to add another exercise in the list, and that is ‘acting workshops and rehearsals’. I believe these are the reasons why Kriti Malhotra playing the girl in the videotapes is a delight to watch. And Prateik and Monica Dogra fit into their roles to near perfection.

I don’t expect the film to be widely loved. But I do hope that more and more people watch films like these. Because the coming generation of Hindi filmmakers is actually going to ‘stretch the imagination’ of the Indian audience, including the aforesaid friend of mine, and redefine what can be called cinema. ‘Dhobi Ghaat’ is a small step in that direction.

P.S. After watching the film, please try to answer this – why was it given an Adult certificate? As I type these words, small kids near my building are dancing to ‘Sheela’. It is some celebration down there, and they are lip-syncing to ‘Sheela ki jawani… I’m too sexy for you…’ whatever!

5 comments:

now that the post mentions it, i want to ask what i have been wondering passively for quite some time now: how does one define and differentiate a documentary & a film/short-film? do there exist some other forms of story telling via the cinematic medium which don't fall into either category (am excluding TV ads here)? and there must be some works that must fall in the blurred lines, in the domains common to both a film & a documentary?

"There are no absolutes in cinema.""All art aspires for the state of music" (music appeals more to the mood and leads to an abstract perception rather than an 'understanding' of its structure, or even meaning of the song... Cinema, like other arts, is slowly losing its form and attaining that state from which it can only be vaguely experienced. Understanding 'why or what that happened' is not going to be important any more... )

Regarding your question of defining a film and a documentary, Watch 'Zelig', 'This is Spinal Tap', 'Hukkle'... (and there are more I will suggest as and when I remember them)

I want to know what is the difference between art films and main stream movies?For me, Dhobi Ghat was a nice watch, refreshing just like many other people have said and I love it that Indian film makers are trying to do different. It doesn't matter if she's the better half of one of the most powerful men in Bollywood. What matters is that she did a good job. At the same time. I felt this film was beautiful like a piece of art. That makes me come back to my question. What's an art film?

BTW, the Censor Board can be a nuisance at times. If language be the criterion, the board should start watching reality shows on TV dishing out much more than what was shown in this movie.

Chetan Bhagat is mainstream, Salman Rushdie is art... But what is RK Narayan?

Backstreet Boys are mainstream, Mozart is art... But what is Pink Floyd?

I don't believe in such distinction. Any piece of art lies in the vast spectrum of quality, judged differently by common people and the artists. It is true that an artist knows more about the art than the common man, but the popular choice can not be ignored, especially in cinema, the economics of which make it more dependent on the audience than other art forms.

In my opinion, there are only good films, and not so good films. And the distinction varies from person to person.

P.S. I started the 'Must Watch' recommendations in September 2010. Before that I had watched several movies that must feature in this list. But in order to save myself from the useless and predictable exercise of recommending all great movies, I decided to follow a simple eligibility criterion: The movies recommended here would be among those I watched or re-watched since September 2010. So please do not be surprised if 'Cinema Paradiso' or 'Apocalypse Now' (which are, in my opinion, definite Must Watch) do not feature in here. They will find a place in the list the day I re-watch them.